Testimonials
“I grew up going to the Oriental Store of Raleigh/ Filipino Express. My family and I used to refer to it as “Manong Kim’s” (the previous owner) and now we refer to it as “Tito Mack’s” because it’s not just a normal grocery store, it’s almost like going to a family friends house.
Like many of the other restaurants in this book, the Oriental Store was a piece of home for my family and a glimpse of my heritage for me. My great-grandma actually worked as a cashier at the Oriental Store during her retirement. I have so many fond memories going grocery shopping after church on Sundays.
Being able to read other Asian American businesses stories of resilience and hope is inspiring – especially in a state where the Asian community is often overlooked or simply dismissed as a monolith. Having these pictures and stories immortalized in a book means the world.”
— Jasmin B.
[translated from Japanese]
“I had the pleasure of reading your book. I connected with the part in the introduction where you mentioned that kids would make fun of your lunch in the cafeteria. I really enjoyed and was drawn in by the various interviews and history of the restaurant owners and finished the book in no time.
It seems that man who works at Toyo Shokuhin was in the Japanese military. It seems that he has fond memories of eating ramen in Hokkaido and I could vividly imagine the taste of a hot bowl of ramen on a cold day in Hokkaido.
This was a beautiful book and I would love to recommend it to other people. To write a book like this as a college student is so impressive. And at the end where you wrote that you dedicate this book to your family and your mom who woke up early every morning to make your lunch…I was in tears. For a daughter to show her gratitude like that is so touching.”
—Yukari F.
“Meherwan [Irani] shared the book with me and WOW. We were both blown away with how well the book was done and the thoughtful touches put into every aspect.”